


I Won’t Give Up

by ziaminmypants



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-28
Updated: 2012-07-28
Packaged: 2017-11-21 07:11:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/594920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziaminmypants/pseuds/ziaminmypants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the song I won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Won’t Give Up

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this basically this was my first fan fiction I ever wrote, EVER. So I hope you like.
> 
> tumblr: ziaminmypants

The past two years had been utter chaos; an interview here, a concert there. It was a whirlwind for the One Direction boys. They had hardly had any time to catch their breathe, let alone process a thought. With losing the X Factor, getting signed with Simon’s record label, recording their debut album, and then going on a worldwide tour right after, there had been no time for a personal life. The tour had been great. The fans had been ridiculously welcoming, and for Liam, it all seemed like a dream. It still hadn’t sunk in that all this happened to a boy from Wolverhampton.

All the boys were close. There was no denying that. Every interviewer practically called them out on the many ‘bromances’ in the band. They become like brothers practically overnight. While Liam was close to all the guys, even acquired the nickname as ‘daddy direction’ for the care and patience he exhibited with each boy, he had always had a special connection to a certain Irishman. While he wasn’t the youngest in the band, Liam always felt the need to protect the blonde. When Niall would feel like his chest was caving in and could hardly breathe when all the cameras and fans surrounded him, Liam would curl him to his chest, shielding him from the attacks. And when they were back in the safety of their hotel room, Liam would sooth him by rubbing the younger boys back softly, whispering encouraging words until the boy could breathe properly. What Liam wasn’t prepared for was that it was Niall who was actually was the one who allowed him to breathe properly.

**When I look into your eyes**  
 **It’s like watching the night sky**  
 **Or a beautiful sunrise**  
 **There’s so much they hold**

Liam could always count on him to be around when he needed to talk about anything-things he couldn’t talk to the other boys about. Niall, who liked to eat entirely way too much for his own good, could calm the older boy when he was stressed. There was just something about those blue eyes that calmed every nerve in his body; the soothing Irish accent helped as well. They could talk about the stresses of being on the road, being homesick and missing family, to even more personal things like him being dumped by Danielle. When the curly head brunette basically ripped his heart out and stomped on it because she couldn’t deal with the long distance thing, Niall had been the one to pick up the pieces of his heart and sewn them back together.

Those eyes were the window to his soul. Within the two years he had spent with Niall, he could almost read him like a book; and he suppose it was vice versa. Niall was his best friend. And without him, Liam couldn’t imagine how he would have gotten through these past two years. Niall was the one that Liam could count on to make things just simply  _better_. He could breathe while the blond was around, knowing someone had his back completely and irrevocably. And whenever he wasn’t, Liam found himself looking around for him, wanting the extra reassurance that, yes, he was someone worth something.

 **And just like them old stars  
** **I see that you’ve come so far  
** **To be right where you are  
** **How old is your soul?**

What Liam hadn’t expected, though, was to fall for him. Not like a crush that would just go away with time. No, in fact these feelings just got stronger with time. With every lingering touch, comforting embrace, and meeting of the eyes that lasted longer than normal, Liam James Payne was in love with his best friend. And the blonde had no idea. Liam, as much as he wanted to scream it out at the top of his lungs to anyone who would listen, thought that being oblivious was the best choice; not only for their friendship, but for the band. What would the fans do if they found out? More importantly, what would Niall say or do when he found out that his hugs and touches meant way more to Liam than he probably meant for them to be? Not to mention what management would say.

The answer: it could and would probably be very ugly. The worst outcome of all would be that Niall wouldn’t talk to him afterwards; no, scratch that, it would have to be him never being able to look at him. Niall avoiding him for the rest of his life would have to be the worst torture imaginable. He could deal with the fans and management if he had Niall by his side; but if he didn’t, it would be all over for the British lad. But finding out exactly how that would feel was something Liam never wanted to experience, and yet, here he was. Curled up in the fetal position, surround by covers to shield him from the cruel world, Liam had decided die peacefully. But no, his mind won’t let him go in peace. It kept replaying the scene over and over again.

 _****  
_ _They were sitting at their usual place; cuddled against each other while they watch Toy Story for about the millionth time. Liam could always give Niall that puppy face in order to get what he wanted, and letting him watch his favorite Disney movie seemed easy enough to be able to give into. Liam had those soft, adoring eyes, which made him even more adorable, causing anyone to want to give him what he wanted. Niall was no exception to this. His heart would melt each and every time._

_During the movie, Liam had seemed to have inched his face into Niall’s neck, so subtlety that he hadn’t even realized he was doing it. And Liam could blame it on the moment, but in reality, he had had enough of hiding his feelings. It was killing him slowly, and he needed to share it before he spontaneously combust at any moment. And it was there and then that Liam felt himself brush his lips against the soft skin of Niall’s neck. He froze. Had he just kissed Niall’s neck? It had been ever so lightly, but when he pulled away to see if Niall had noticed, his worst fears had been realized. Niall had also noticed._

_His blues eyes were wide as he looked over at Liam. “Li…”_

_Liam, who had automatically dropped his head once he had realized what he had done, looked up at the sound of his name, rather reluctantly. “Ni, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just-“_

_But he was cut off by soft lips on his. Liam’s mind was racing a mile a minute and it took him a minute to comprehend that HEY! Nial’s lips were on his! And finally, he returned the kiss, only then realizing that Niall’s hands had managed to slide against his cheek without him noticing. Liam’s own hand found the back of Niall’s head, pulling his head forward slightly to deepen the very innocent and very first he ever received from the boy he had been in love with for the past six months._

_****_

**I won’t give up on us  
** **Even if the skies get rough** **I’m giving you all my love  
** **I’m still looking up**

_****_

_After a couple of minutes, the need for oxygen overrode any other need, and they were pulling away. It was awfully quiet for a few moments before Liam broke it._

_“I’m in love with you.” He didn’t know what made him say it, but he did. He just blurted it out like it was just another piece of news that didn’t mean much to either one of them. Like ‘hey, there’s donuts in the kitchen’ or ‘I finally listened to that album you recommended.’_

_Maybe it was the fact that he had been holding that particular piece of information in for a while. But now it was out and the ball was in Niall’s court. Liam’s stomach was knotting up, he felt like he was going to be sick. With every passing moment, Liam regretting slipping those words out of his mouth this soon._

_Niall blinked a few times before untangling himself from Liam’s long limbs. Liam heart fell. This was not going to end well, he could tell._

_“I- I’ve gotta go. Sorry Li, I-,” but he didn’t finish as stumbled over his own feet, trying to get the door._

_Hot tears fell down his cheek at the sound of his apartment door shutting. That was it. Niall was out of his life forever. He would never want to see him again._

_****_

With the constant replaying in his head, and the sound of the door clicking shut in his ears, Liam tried curled into a tighter ball, as though if he could become smaller, the ache in his chest would also get smaller, maybe even bearable.

**And when you’re needing your space**  
 **To do some navigating**  
 **I’ll be here patiently waiting**  
 **To see what you find**

That had been two days ago. He hadn’t heard a word from Niall since then. Nothing, not even a peep. Liam didn’t even know if he was still in London. The other lads had visited, and without even talking about it, they seemed to know. Maybe not exactly what happened, but they knew something. Niall had seemed to drop off everyone’s radars, not just his own, which only made him feel a little better that it wasn’t just him. But other fears filled his mind. Was he hurt? Where was he? Would be ready to start recording the new material for their next album come Monday? And for the moment, Liam had fallen back into his ‘daddy direction’ ways; always wanting to protect the boy, even if it was from him.

They only stayed for a few hours, after trying to coax Liam outside and failing, they decided to give him what he wanted: to curl into a ball and die. At least that’s Liam had been planned on. Life, however, had other plans.

With the time alone, he had come to one understanding. He had practically jumped Niall when he showed any extra in the purely innocent kiss. He knew that the Irishman had a lot to think about. His best friend had just admitted that he was in love with him. Heck, he had kissed his best friend. While Liam had six months to think over each and every aspect, and even come to terms with his feelings towards the blonde, Niall hadn’t had that time. So he tried his best not to overreact when Niall hadn’t answered his text or picked up the phone when he had called, hanging up before leaving a message.

**‘Cause even the stars they burn**  
 **Some even fall to the earth**  
 **We’ve got a lot to learn**  
 **God knows we’re worth it**  
 **No, I won’t give up**

Liam had fallen asleep that night, with tears falling down his cheek and a broken heart, his hands clutched closely to his sides. He didn’t sleep well, but when he did, he dreamt of swirling wheels and cotton candy. He dreamt of Niall;  _his_  Niall.

He woke with a start when the rollercoaster dropped, as he felt like he was falling. Once he realized that he was safe in his bed, he relaxed a bit before the memories of everything flooded back. It hurt, but he was learning to deal with it. Niall just needed time to process everything. He wouldn’t just leave Liam like this without knowing he would come back to him, would he?

He had decided last night two things: the first being he wasn’t going to give up on Niall; on  _them_. The second being that Niall had three days to process his thoughts and it was time for Liam to swallow his pride and find out exactly what was going to happen to their friendship – relationship? Even if the ending was bad, Liam couldn’t pretend none of it had happened. He had waited six months to say those words to him, and now that it was all out on the table, so to speak, he was sort of relieved in a way.

So he dragged himself to his bathroom, took a quick shower, dressed, gelled his hair, and slid on some shoes. Liam was ready to either make or break it. Grabbing his keys, he locked his apartment door, making his way down the familiar route towards Niall’s own apartment.

**I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily**  
 **I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make**  
 **Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use**  
 **The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake**

Now that he was standing outside Niall’s door, he didn’t see how this was such a good idea. It could potentially blow up in his face, just like it had when he had told Niall that he loved him. But he had come this far, and wasn’t giving up. Niall was everything to him, and even though he wished that the blonde had stayed and just talked about it instead of leaving, he still loved him. It was the differences between them that he loved the most. If they were alike, he was sure things would be rather boring.

They both brought different dynamics to the friendship. Niall was carefree and Liam was the uptight one. Niall could eat anything he wanted and not gain an ounce, Liam, if he ate all Niall did, would be in the gym for a week. They complimented one another well, so well, he guessed that what made him fall in love with him as well.

So Liam took a deep breathe, and before he could change his mind, he knocked. Here goes nothing.

**And in the end, you’re still my friend at least we did intend**  
 **For us to work we didn’t break, we didn’t burn**  
 **We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in**  
 **I had to learn what I’ve got, and what I’m not**  
 **And who I am**

He heard some shuffling behind the door and straightened a bit. Liam had a vague fear that Niall would see it was him and not even open the door. But the moment the door opened, he kicked himself mentally for what he had thought. Niall wasn’t like that, at least not to him.

“Err, hi.” Liam finally stuttered out.

Niall looked really pale, paler than usual. “Hi Liam,” Oh no, he had just used his full name, was that a good sign? “Urm, come in?” The last had come out in more of a question than a command, but Liam only hesitated a moment before making his way into the apartment.

Looking around, things hadn’t changed since he had been in here last, except a few dirty dishes and pizza boxes scattered carelessly on the coffee table. Liam made his way to the couch, with Niall trailing behind him, sitting a good two feet away from him on the opposite side of the couch.

“Look Ni, um, we need to talk about- about what happened the, er, other day.” Liam choked out.

At the words, Niall looked down at his lap. He looked like he was trying to choose his next words carefully. Once he seemed to determine exactly what those would be, his blue pools seemed to find Liam’s chocolate brown ones with ease. It shouldn’t be that easy, right?

“Liam-Li,” he corrected himself, which Liam marked in the victory side. “I really don’t know what to say, it’s just everything… everything is just fucked up.”

Liam nodded at his words. “Niall, I can’t say that I’m sorry that I said it, because I truly meant it, but I am sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable around me – that you couldn’t just tell me how you felt then and there. You’re my best friend, and if you can’t feel comfortable telling me the truth, then I have failed you. I’m not worth-“

**I won’t give up on us**  
 **Even if the skies get rough**  
 **I’m giving you all my love**  
 **I’m still looking up**  
 **Still looking up.**

Liam didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because Niall had yanked him towards him, crashing their lips together. And much like the very first time they kissed, which had been three days prior, it took a minute for Liam to respond. But when he did, he didn’t waste any time with stupid little thoughts on if this was real, he just felt. Felt Niall’s lips against his own, felt the warm pad of his thumb rubbing against Liam’s cheek as he kissed him so tenderly, and how the skin of Niall’s neck felt against his own fingertips.

It felt like ages, but in reality it had only been a few moments before both were pulling away, out of breathe. Niall’s eyes seemed to have darkened within those few moments, and there was both a tenderness and roughness about him all at once that was hard to describe. But Liam knew that look, it was the look he gave Niall when he wasn’t looking.

“I never want to hear you say that you are not worth it Liam. God, I was so stupid. How can you ever forgive me?” he planted soft kissed against Liam’s lips, cheek, jawline, and against his ear. “I should never have left you. I should have stayed, should have told you that I’m in love with you too.” With that last word, he kissed Liam’s ear softly before pulling away to take in his whole face, hands placed tenderly on either side, thumb caressing his cheek.

Liam’s eyes had been closed until he realized the kisses had stopped and they fluttered open to see the blonde Irishman peering at him with apprehension. He sighed. Truth be told, he had forgiven Niall the moment he had opened the door. But he knew Niall; he knew Niall needed that reassurance.

Pulling him closer, Liam smiled, “Keep kissing me like that, and all will be forgiven love.”

That was all it took. A small smile crept up against Niall’s lips as he leaned forward to meet their lips. “I have a lot to be forgiven for.”

Liam smirked into the kiss. This was exactly why they fit so perfectly together. This was exactly what he never was going to give up on.

  
 **I won’t give up on us (no I’m not giving up)**  
 **God knows I’m tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)**  
 **We’ve got a lot to learn (we’re alive, we are loved)**  
 **God knows we’re worth it (and we’re worth it)**


End file.
